Rapper. Clothing designer. Entrepreneur. Donald Trump fan. And now, affordable housing developer?
The outspoken rapper’s plan for a community of dome-like houses for low-income residents modeled after the “Stars Wars” movies has hit a snag, according to TMZ.
Calabasas city officials have cited the Grammy-winning artist for building several dome structures, which he claims are temporary prototypes, without having received permits.
He’s now being forced to bring them into compliance by Sept. 15, or tear them down. West’s plan comes as California — and Los Angeles in particular — continues to grapple with a severe shortage of affordable homes and a growing homeless problem.
West has been working with a team to design the prefabricated shelters, inspired by Luke Skywalker’s childhood home, as affordable housing. His vision, he has said, is to create a community bridging the lower and upper classes.
West had four structures built on the 300 acres he owns in Calabasas, prompting neighbors to complain to the Department of Public Works about late-night construction. After two visits to the area, inspectors concluded that the project was not temporary, and required proper plans and building permits, according to reports.
He and his wife, Kim Kardashian are no strangers to that area. In early 2018, they poured $20 million into overhauling their Hidden Hills mansion nearby. And the year before that Kim Kardashian and her mother, Kris Jenner, bought a total of three condominiums at Avanti in Calabasas.
In addition to housing, Kanye West has also mentioned plans to open his own architecture firm.
“We’re starting a Yeezy architecture arm called Yeezy home,” he tweeted out in May. “We’re looking for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better.”
A month later, he told TV personality Charlamagne Tha God he was “going to be one of the biggest real estate developers of all the time.” [TMZ] — Natalie Hoberman